Pantomime comes to Grove House – ‘oh yes, it does!’

The performance of Aladdin took place in the main patient area at Grove House which was transformed into an interactive theatre space by a team from The Panto Company. Child patients, their siblings and families were treated to a traditional pantomime experience, complete with singing, slapstick and laughs for all.  

The performance was part of the Starlight Foundation’s annual travelling pantomime tour which takes the traditional pantomime experience to children who are patients of a hospital or hospice over the festive period.  

Karen, a play specialist at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, applied for the performance. She explained:  

“I was delighted to hear we’d be getting a visit from Starlight’s pantomime team as it gave us the opportunity to help our families make some special memories. Seeing a pantomime is a tradition that many families have enjoyed over the years. If a child is living with a life-limiting illness it can be more difficult for their family to access such occasions for a number of reasons. So we were delighted to be able to invite our families to enjoy this experience in a place they are familiar with, feel comfortable in and know that there won’t be large crowds.” 

Michelle from Hemel Hempstead attended the pantomime with her family and said:  

“We were so excited when we were invited to attend the pantomime at Grove House. Our son, Taylor, is very susceptible to infection so for us it was a great way to enjoy a Christmas tradition without worrying about being in busy places with lots of other people.  

“Both our children loved the pantomime. They enjoyed all the audience participation, especially shouting things like ‘he’s behind you!’. It was lovely that Starlight came and did this for the children and families who use the services at Grove House. The pantomime company was fantastic. We all hope there’ll be another one next year!”